WATCH THE REACTION IN THE MIND, NOT THE PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

Singapore Q&A 10.7.2023 (19:00-20:45)

Yogi: I have lots of bodily pain due to an illness. What can I do?

Sayadaw: When pain arises, I encourage yogis to watch the feeling, the reaction or anger, not the pain.

Every time you pay attention to the pain, anger will arise because the mind and body are related – we already have the idea that pain is not good.

For the beginner, when they watch the pain, anger arises; and the more they watch the pain, the more intense the anger becomes.

So, I don’t encourage watching the pain but watch the anger instead.

For example, if you’re angry with somebody, what happens when you continue to look at the person? You get angrier because you are watching with anger.

The principle is the same.

UNDERSTANDING OUR CONCEPTUAL MIND OR UNDERSTANDING THE MIND PROCESS

Singapore Q&A 14.7.2023 (19:15-19:45)

Many psychotherapists attended my retreat in America. If they don’t know the mind very well, it is sometimes easy for them to be affected emotionally after listening to the negative stories of their patients.

After a long time, they also get depressed by the defilements. It is good that they come to the center to practice to calm down.

WHICHEVER MIND IS PRACTICED LEAVES BEHIND ITS QUALITY

Singapore Q&A 10.7.2023 (1:02:30-1:03:35)

The mind arises and passes away all the time, but it leaves its quality; both wholesome minds and wholesome minds.

When we keep practicing, the wholesome minds continue to increase; moment to moment they accumulate.

Why do people get angry so easily? Because they allow anger to happen many times, it is easy for them to get angry. It can get stronger and stronger because that quality has a chance to happen again and again.

You can see for yourself why people have strong cravings or strong anger – it is because they’re practicing these qualities every day.

Likewise, we need to keep practicing the awareness every day.

CHECKING WHY THE MIND KEEPS DOING SOMETHING IS MEDITATION

Singapore Q&A 7.7.2023 (05:50-07:49)

Yogi: During the sit, I was very angry with the air conditioning and the mind kept going to it; and every time the mind went there, I asked it to come back to the body.

Sayadaw: So, what have you learned?

Yogi: I cannot control the mind.

Sayadaw: I don’t want you to control the mind; what do you learn from this process?

You need to learn from the process, again and again. After a few times, you’ll realize something about it.

You want to calm down, isn’t it?

Yogi: Yes, I’m doing samatha practice.

IF YOU WATCH OBJECTIVELY, THE ‘I’ IS NOT YOURS

Singapore Q&A 14.7.2023 (17:15-18:24)

My teacher never used ‘I or me’; he only used the plural ‘we or us’ when he referred to himself.

If a psychiatrist heard him, he’d think something was wrong with my teacher.

‘I’ is the wrong view, but people are used to the wrong view or moha and think that if you have moha, you’re good. If you don’t have moha, then something is wrong with you. This is a strange idea.

But if you watch the self objectively, it is not yours because it is the object.

ANGER ARISES BECAUSE OF LOBHA

Singapore Q&A 4.7.2023 (11:00-12:15)

People are afraid of suffering because they’re attached to peacefulness.

Everybody has lobha already; we want everything to be okay. That is why when something not okay happens, the mind immediately reacts with suffering. Reacting, right?

It is because we’re attached to wanting everything to be good and okay.

We don’t know it – only when something unpleasant happens that we realize our attachment.

Anger arises because of lobha, because of craving, and when we cannot get what we want.

We cannot accept it because we expect a good experience.

Sayadaw: Instead of contemplating, it is better to just recognize as a reminder that we’ll grow old and there will be pain – it is a process. You will not forget then.

When you contemplate, check if the mind is calm and peaceful. If the mind is not happy, then there is dosa. If so, it is not contemplating, it is complaining. 

IS THE MIND CONTEMPLATING OR COMPLAINING?

Singapore Q&A 21.7.2023 (17:22-18:25)

Yogi: If I keep on contemplating about ageing and death, won’t I be thinking too much?

Sayadaw: Instead of contemplating, it is better to just recognize as a reminder that we’ll grow old and there will be pain – it is a process. You will not forget then.

When you contemplate, check if the mind is calm and peaceful. If the mind is not happy, then there is dosa. If so, it is not contemplating, it is complaining. 

IF OUR EMOTION INCREASES WHEN WE’RE AWARE, CHECK OUR EXPECTATION

Singapore Q&A 10.7.2023 (0:58:40-1:00:34)

Yogi: An agitation arose in the day and I tried to stop it, but the mind just wanted to return to the suffering.

I checked my attitude and asked ‘Why is the agitation happening’ and ‘What is the quality of my mind’. I wanted to know the nature of agitation with right attitude; I waited and watched.

I did not control the experience; whatever happened, I just watched and constantly checked if the awareness was still present.

Later, the mind changed and became peaceful and the agitation and disliking feeling reduced.

Sayadaw: That’s right; it is already good. If we practice the right way, the emotion will reduce. That is why I say if we’re aware the right way, the emotion reduces.

When the emotion increases as we’re aware, it means that something is wrong with the awareness.

BE AWARE OF PAIN, NOT THINK ABOUT THE PAIN

Singapore Q&A 21.7.2023 (06:44-07:50)

Yogi: Sayadaw, is your mind affected by your illnesses?

Sayadaw: Not much because whatever happens just happens.

Good or bad, we need to be aware. It is better that we take care of the quality of our mind because good or bad is just the experience.

That is why I say not to judge the experience one way or the other. If we judge that it is good, we get attached to the experience.

For example, we forget to be aware and enjoy the experience when we’re happy because there is no pain; as a result, we complain a lot when we’re sick.

GOOD OR BAD, WE NEED TO BE AWARE

Singapore Q&A 21.7.2023 (06:44-07:50)

Yogi: Sayadaw, is your mind affected by your illnesses?

Sayadaw: Not much because whatever happens just happens.

Good or bad, we need to be aware. It is better that we take care of the quality of our mind because good or bad is just the experience.

That is why I say not to judge the experience one way or the other. If we judge that it is good, we get attached to the experience.

For example, we forget to be aware and enjoy the experience when we’re happy because there is no pain; as a result, we complain a lot when we’re sick.

HOW TO MAINTAIN THE PEACEFUL MIND THROUGHOUT THE DAY

Singapore Q&A 10.7.2023 (42:23-44:00)

How do you maintain peacefulness in your life the whole day long?

I remind yogis to try to practice when they wake up in the morning and bring that peacefulness to their daily lives the whole day. If you’re skillful, you can maintain your peaceful mind all day. You have to try and practice.

Sometimes, I cannot maintain it too; at times, it’s gone by lunchtime. But we have to try every day.

When we wake up in the morning and the mind is calm and peaceful after sitting, be aware of this feeling and try to know every relationship that affects this peaceful mind; what you’re thinking and what you’re talking and how mental actions, verbal actions or physical actions affect your feeling and mental state. You need to learn and then you can know how to maintain your peacefulness and samadhi level.

PRACTICE WATCHING ALL FEELINGS IN DAILY LIFE

Singapore Q&A 10.7.2023 (41:04-41:40)

In daily life, try to be aware of your feelings because there are reactions all the time in daily life.

You can be more skillful in being aware in daily life because the mind feels pleasant or unpleasant and happy or sad. Every day, we have a lot of emotions, right? Use them to become more skillful in the practice.

It is important to watch all feelings.

STILL OKAY IS NOT OKAY

Singapore Q&A 7.7.2023 (12:04-13:15)

Sayadaw: Are you satisfied with your life?

Yogi: Okay; I’m quite satisfied. It is still okay. I can meet good teachers and with a stable job, my life is quite okay.

Sayadaw: Still okay is not okay; this okay is not okay. If there is a lot of moha, then it is also okay.

A lot of people think there is no problem with their lives.

PARAMATTHA (NATURE/REALITY) AND PANNATTI (CONCEPT)

Singapore Q&A 10.7.2023 (44:05 – 46:00)

Yogi: Sayadaw says when something disturbs the mind, we don’t follow the storyline.

When I see the storyline, I see that it is the thoughts. So, I should learn to see the nature of the thoughts and not follow the storyline?

Sayadaw: It depends on how much you understand paramattha and pannatti or nature and concept.

When you pay more attention to nature, the mind doesn’t think too much about the concept. You can see the thinking mind arising and gone, arising and gone – that’s nature.

When you pay more attention to the concept, there will be more thinking and more emotions.

You need to understand what is concept and what is nature.

Yogi: Storyline is concept? Thoughts are not concept?

Sayadaw: Yes. Thoughts are just arising, arising; just happening, happening. Happening is nature and storyline is the concept.

Whenever thinking arises, try to be aware of this.

Yogi: When I see the storyline, I don’t follow it and the story will drop? I should try to see the nature.

Sayadaw: Yes, pay more attention to the nature.

HOW TO MAINTAIN INTEREST IN BEING AWARE

Singapore Q&A 21.7.2023 (00:21-02:40)

Yogi: How do I maintain interest in the practice?

Sayadaw: If you recognize the benefit of awareness, you’ll want to practice.

Do you understand the difference between being aware and not being aware? You’ll be interested if you can see the advantages of the practice.

The benefit is more obvious when people are suffering.

If you can notice the difference in the quality of mind when you’re aware and when you’re not aware, then you’ll be more interested in practicing.

Yogis try to meditate because they’ve already experienced something good from practicing.